The invention relates to communications systems in general. More specifically, the invention relates to a server-centric search function in an interactive program guide.
Over the past few years, the television industry has seen a transformation in a variety of techniques by which its programming is distributed to consumers. Cable television systems are doubling or even tripling system bandwidth with the migration to hybrid fiber coax (HFC) cable plant. Customers unwilling to subscribe to local cable systems have switched in high numbers to direct broadcast satellite (DBS) systems. And, a variety of other approaches have been attempted focusing primarily on high bandwidth digital technologies, intelligent two way set top terminals, or other methods of trying to offer service differentiated from standard cable and over the air broadcast systems.
With this increase in bandwidth, the number of programming choices has also increased. Leveraging off the availability of more intelligent set top terminals, several companies such as Starsight Telecast Inc. and TV Guide, Inc. have developed elaborate systems for providing an interactive listing of a vast array of channel offerings, expanded textual information about individual programs, and the ability to look forward to plan television viewing as much as several weeks in advance.
With this increase in the number of programming, it is oftentimes cumbersome for a viewer to find a desired program in a guide considering, for example, two weeks of programming with 200 channels. In order to provide ease of viewing, some of the existing program guides offer customization feature such as pop-up guides or favorites selection so that program guides can be viewed or scanned through only the selected favorite list of channels.
However, in order to provide the viewer with quick access to programming and to help the viewer to more easily locate a program in an unknown channel at an unknown time period, more comprehensive features are highly desirable.